Oh Those Cattywampus Days!

I’m grinnin’ from ear to ear this mornin’ as this Southern gal writes this blog. I read a beautiful daily devotion from an online ministry and BAM, another idea for a blog! Their devotion started with: “You are slowly but surely coming to an end of your days of being cattywampus.” WHAT? Cattywampus? What in the world does that mean?

I investigated it and realized “cattywampus” is a jewel of a word! Isn’t that a southern fried, gravy-drenched word if there ever was one? I’m convinced it was born somewhere between a tumbleweed and a rocking chair on a rickety front porch.

If you’ve never had a day go cattywampus, then bless your pea-pickin’ hearts… you just haven’t lived long enough.

For those wondering (and reaching for Google), “cattywampus” means “all messed up,” “out of alignment,” or as my grandma used to say, “Just plain off-kilter, sugar.” And truth be told, I’ve had a few weeks like that.

The days when my hair’s sticking up like a rooster’s crown, my plans go sideways, the ants take over my kitchen pantry, the kitchen faucet falls off (true story), I spill the popcorn all over the floor, and my phone goes missing (again). Those are cattywampus days.

But here’s the good news: God isn’t thrown off by a little chaos. He doesn’t get dizzy when our lives tilt a little left of center. He leans in. He straightens out what we can’t. And He speaks peace in the middle of the mess.

God's Word reminds us in Philippians 4:8 to lift our thoughts -- to think on what’s lovely, true, and pure. That’s not denial; that’s divine alignment. It’s shifting our focus from what’s wrong to Who’s still right.

So what do we do when life gets cattywampus?

We breathe. We take deep breaths. We pray. We praise anyway.
We pull our peace back down like a cozy blanket and choose to believe that this mess is temporary, but God's goodness is permanent.

Even in the crooked places, He walks beside us. Even when we feel sideways, His love is unshakable.

So today, let’s realign. Let’s straighten up our thoughts, fix our eyes on Jesus, and thank Him that no matter how tilted or twisted things get, He’s the One holding it all together.

Because honestly? If cattywampus is the worst of it… we’re doing just fine.

Amen and let's straighten up, now. ✨